Prevalence of lip lesions in an Indian population

Objectives: Lip lesions are a frequent cause of consultation in dentistry, as they comprise a signifi cant proportion of the oral lesions. The aim of the present study was to identify the different lip lesions and determine their prevalence in an Indian population. Material and methods: 5231 patients visiting a Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology were examined for the presence of different lip lesions during the period from October, 2011 to May, 2013. The statistical analysis was done using Chi-square test and p<0.05 was considered to be statistically signifi cant. Results: The age of the patients ranged from 8-70 years with a mean age of 32.6 years. The prevalence of lip lesions was 18.8%. The most commonly diagnosed lesions were those due to infections, which affected 32.6% of the po- pulation, followed by mucocele (29.8%) and premalignant lesions and conditions which were observed in 20.6% of the population. Males were more commonly affected than females. Conclusions: The relatively high prevalence of the lip lesions suggests dental practitioners and health care workers to educate the patients and create more awareness regarding them. The dentists should have adequate knowledge about the etiology, clinical features, diagnosis and management of the lip lesions

Proposed new grading of oral submucous fibrosis based on cheek flexibility

Objectives: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a potentially malignant disorder of oral cavity, pharynx and upper digestive tract, characterized by progressive inability to open the mouth. Based on clinical and/or histopathological features, various classifications and grading systems have been put forth till date. The aim of the present study was to study the variance in cheek flexibility in OSMF patients, the observance of which led to the introduction of a new grading for the condition. Material and Methods: The study included 412 patients with OSMF attending to the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology during the period from December 2008 to June 2013. A detailed history and examination of the patients was performed with special emphasis on measuring cheek flexibility. Statistical analysis was done using Chi-square test and p<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: The most common etiological factor was tobacco (73.3%). All the patients reported with burning sensation of the mouth and blanching of the mucosa. Malignancy was reported in only 4.6% patients. 60.4% patients showed cheek flexibility of 30mm and above, while 29.6% patients showed cheek flexibility between 20-30mm and 10% patients showed less than 30mm of cheek flexibility. Conclusion: The observations of the present study have led to the proposal of a new grading of OSMF based on cheek flexibility which could assist in the categorization of the condition by the clinicians

Comparative study of the efficacy of herbal antioxdants oxitard and aloe vera in the treatment of oral submucous fibrosis

Objectives: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a potentially malignant disorder predominantly seen in the Indian subcontinent due to areca nut, tobacco and their products. The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of oxitard and aloe vera in the management of OSMF. Material and Methods: 120 subjects with OSMF were included in the study. The patients were clinico-pathologi - cally diagnosed and divided equally in 2 groups, Group A (oxitard group) and Group B (aloe vera group). Group A was administered 2 oxitard capsules twice daily and Group B was given 5 mg aloe vera gel to be applied topically thrice daily for 3 months. Different clinical parameters were evaluated at regular intervals. Data was analyzed using the Student's paired t test and Chi-square test. P-value <0.001 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: Clinical improvements in mouth opening and tongue protrusion was significant in the oxitard group (p=0.0005). Subjective symptoms of pain associated with the lesion (p=0.0003), difficulty in swallowing (p=0.0000) and speech (p=0.0001) also significantly improved in the Group A. The improvement in burning sensation was not statistically significant between the 2 groups (p=0.002). There was a mild to moderate decrease in the size of the lesion. Conclusions: Though there is no definitive treatment for the condition however, overall assessment of symptoms like mouth opening, tongue protrusion, difficulty in swallowing and speech and pain associated with the lesion showed that oxitard capsules can bring about significant clinical improvements than aloe vera gel in the treatment of OSMF

The relationship between pulp calcifications and salivary gland calcifications

Aim: Pulp stones are discrete calcified bodies found in the dental pulp. Sialolithasis is the most common salivary gland disease. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between the pulp stones and salivary gland stones. Material and Methods: 196 patients were randomly selected from the out patient department for the study. The periapical radiographs for all patients were evaluated for the presence or absence of the narrowing of dental pulp chambers and pulp canals. The intra oral occlusal radiographs were also evaluated to determine the presence or absence of salivary stones. The results were compared and analyzed using the Chi-square test ( p <0.001). Results: Salivary gland calcifications were detected in 5 patients. 191 patients had pulp narrowing and 118 patients had pulp stones. There was no statistical correlation between pulp narrowing and salivary stones ( p >0.001) and also between pulp stones and salivary gland stones ( p >0.001). Conclusions: However, the incidental findings of salivary gland stones on intra oral occlusal radiographs can pro - vide useful information in the early diagnosis of the condition, but in the present study no significant relationship was found between the presence of pulp stones and salivary gland stones

Effects of an mHealth intervention for community health workers on maternal and child nutrition and health service delivery in India: protocol for a quasi-experimental mixed-methods evaluation.

INTRODUCTION:Millions of children in India still suffer from poor health and under-nutrition, despite substantial improvement over decades of public health programmes. The Anganwadi centres under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) provide a range of health and nutrition services to pregnant women, children &lt;6 years and their mothers. However, major gaps exist in ICDS service delivery. The government is currently strengthening ICDS through an mHealth intervention called Common Application Software (ICDS-CAS) installed on smart phones, with accompanying multilevel data dashboards. This system is intended to be a job aid for frontline workers, supervisors and managers, aims to ensure better service delivery and supervision, and enable real-time monitoring and data-based decision-making. However, there is little to no evidence on the effectiveness of such large-scale mHealth interventions integrated with public health programmes in resource-constrained settings on the service delivery and subsequent health and nutrition outcomes. METHODS AND ANALYSIS:This study uses a village-matched controlled design with repeated cross-sectional surveys to evaluate whether ICDS-CAS can enable more timely and appropriate services to pregnant women, children &lt;12 months and their mothers, compared with the standard ICDS programme. The study will recruit approximately 1500 Anganwadi workers and 6000+ mother-child dyads from 400+ matched-pair villages in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. The primary outcomes are the proportion of beneficiaries receiving (a) adequate number of home visits and (b) appropriate level of counselling by the Anganwadi workers. Secondary outcomes are related to improvements in other ICDS services, and knowledge and practices of the Anganwadi workers and beneficiaries. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:Ethical oversight is provided by the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects at the University of California at Berkeley, and the Suraksha Independent Ethics Committee in India. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and analysis data will be made public. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:ISRCTN83902145

Hyperlop Transportation System

As we know that there are four modes of transportation are, rail, road, water, and air. These modes of transport tend to be either relatively slow (e.g., road and water), expensive (e.g., air), or a combination of relatively slow and expensive (i.e., rail). Hyper loop is a new mode of transport that seeks to change this paradigm by being both fast and inexpensive for people and goods. Hyperloop is also unique in that it is an open design concept, similar to Linux. Feedback is desired from the community that can help advance the Hyperloop design and bring it from concept to reality. Hyperloop consists of a low pressure tube with capsules that are transported at both low and high speeds throughout the length of the tube. The capsules are supported on a cushion of air, featuring pressurized air and aerodynamic lift. The capsules are accelerated via a magnetic linear accelerator affixed at various stations on the low pressure tube with rotors contained in each capsule. Passengers may enter and exit Hyperloop at stations located either at the ends of the tube, or branches along the tube length. In this study, the initial route, preliminary design, and logistics of the Hyperloop transportation system have been derived. The system consists of capsules that travel between Los Angeles, California and San Francisco, California. The total one-way trip time is 35 minutes from county line to county line. The capsules leave on average every 2 minutes from each terminal carrying 28 people each (as often as every 30 seconds during rush hour and less frequently at night). This gives a total of 7.4 million people per tube that can be transported each year on Hyperloop. The total cost of Hyperloop is under $6 billion USD for two one-way tubes and 40 capsules. Amortizing this capital cost over 20 years and adding daily operational costs gives a total of$20 USD plus operating costs per one-way ticket on the passenger Hyperloop

Frequency of mesiodens in the pediatric population in North India: A radiographic study.

Objectives: Mesiodens are the most common supernumerary teeth, occurring in 0.15% to 2.2% of the population. The aim of the present study was to analyze the frequency and radiological features of mesiodens in the pediatric population. Material and methods: The study was based on the radiographic evaluation of 4133 pediatric patients of the age range of 4-15 years, attending the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology during the time period between September 2008 to December 2012. In addition to the presence of a supernumerary tooth between the 2 central incisors, data regarding the number, position, shape and associated complications were also recorded. Results: The prevalence of mesiodens in the present study was 1.4%. The prevalence was estimated using a 95% confidence interval. The ratio of boys to girls was 1.8:1 and majority of cases (89.7%) had 1 mesiodens. Most of the mesiodens (59.6%) were aligned in a vertical position. 39 mesiodens (62.9%) were impacted, while 14 (22.6%) were partially erupted and only 9 (14.5%) were completely erupted into occlusion. The main complication associated with the mesiodens was midline diastema (28.6%) and 16 patients were asymptomatic. Conclusion: Mesiodens can result in spacing in the arch, delayed or ectopic eruption of the permanent incisors, further altering the occlusion and esthetics of the patient or may remain asymptomatic. It is therefore important for the practitioners to diagnose a mesiodens early in development to allow for optimal treatment plan